Today, President Obama awarded Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta the Medal of Honor, making him the first living recipient of the award since the Vietnam War. The tale of how he earned this distinction should pretty much guarantee that this man never has to buy another beer in his life. From President Obama's remarks:

Salvatore Giunta’s time came on October 25, 2007. He was a Specialist then, just 22 years old.
Sal and his platoon were several days into a mission in the Korengal Valley -- the most dangerous valley in northeast Afghanistan. The moon was full. The light it cast was enough to travel by without using their night-vision goggles. With heavy gear on their backs, and air support overhead, they made their way single file down a rocky ridge crest, along terrain so steep that sliding was sometimes easier than walking.
They hadn’t traveled a quarter mile before the silence was shattered. It was an ambush, so close that the cracks of the guns and the whizz of the bullets were simultaneous. Tracer fire hammered the ridge at hundreds of rounds per minute -- “more,” Sal said later, “than the stars in the sky.”
The Apache gunships above saw it all, but couldn’t engage with the enemy so close to our soldiers. The next platoon heard the shooting, but were too far away to join the fight in time.
And the two lead men were hit by enemy fire and knocked down instantly. When the third was struck in the helmet and fell to the ground, Sal charged headlong into the wall of bullets to pull him to safety behind what little cover there was. As he did, Sal was hit twice -- one round slamming into his body armor, the other shattering a weapon slung across his back.
They were pinned down, and two wounded Americans still lay up ahead. So Sal and his comrades regrouped and counterattacked. They threw grenades, using the explosions as cover to run forward, shooting at the muzzle flashes still erupting from the trees. Then they did it again. And again. Throwing grenades, charging ahead. Finally, they reached one of their men. He’d been shot twice in the leg, but he had kept returning fire until his gun jammed.
As another soldier tended to his wounds, Sal sprinted ahead, at every step meeting relentless enemy fire with his own. He crested a hill alone, with no cover but the dust kicked up by the storm of bullets still biting into the ground. There, he saw a chilling sight: the silhouettes of two insurgents carrying the other wounded American away -- who happened to be one of Sal’s best friends. Sal never broke stride. He leapt forward. He took aim. He killed one of the insurgents and wounded the other, who ran off.
Sal found his friend alive, but badly wounded. Sal had saved him from the enemy -- now he had to try to save his life. Even as bullets impacted all around him, Sal grabbed his friend by the vest and dragged him to cover. For nearly half an hour, Sal worked to stop the bleeding and help his friend breathe until the MEDEVAC arrived to lift the wounded from the ridge. American gunships worked to clear the enemy from the hills. And with the battle over, First Platoon picked up their gear and resumed their march through the valley. They continued their mission.
It had been as intense and violent a firefight as any soldier will experience. By the time it was finished, every member of First Platoon had shrapnel or a bullet hole in their gear. Five were wounded. And two gave their lives: Sal’s friend, Sergeant Joshua C. Brennan, and the platoon medic, Specialist Hugo V. Mendoza.

Hooah. | The 60 Minutes interview with him, including accompanying graphics, here.
Update: A video of the entire ceremony after the jump, courtesy of The White House's YouTube channel.

Uh, looks like the father of Josh Brennan recalled a slightly different story;

His father, Michael Brennan of McFarland, Wis., told The Associated Press that after Taliban fighters shot his son in the chest, they tried to drag the wounded soldier away, but a medic threw grenades at them before he himself was killed. Spc. Hugo V. Mendoza, 29, of Glendale, Ariz., also died from the firefight.

“If it weren’t for that medic, horrific things could have happened to Joshua,” said his mother, Janice Gates, a sergeant with the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.

Last I checked, you don’t salute indoors and you don’t salute without headgear and since you don’t wear headgear indoors, you don’t salute indoors. At least, that’s the way the British and Canadian forces do it. If the ceremony had been outside, there would have been both. I didn’t think it was any different in the American military. Am I mistaken?

David

Brennan died in that firefight, I’m sure he didn’t call home to tell Dad the story of what happened. Just liberal, anti-war BS

Armydude

You’re correct. Headgear is not worn indoors, unless you are under arms (excluding chapels). Salutes are not rendered indoors, unless the National Anthem is played, which is still optional.

Jasperzoo

I’m sure that if there was saluting at this ceremony, folks like Keithandy would be bitching about that instead. You just can’t win with some people.

SRA

In the American military, you can salute indoors during awards ceremonies. This is how the USAF does it.

for real

BAMF

jb

“David” what is “liberal” about “Tonyr’s” comment? Let me answer that for you: nothing. Get off your high horse.

I think I speak for an overwhelming majority of American’s, conservative AND liberal, when I say that we, Americans, wholeheartedly support the brave service men and women who defend our country. Troops don’t make policy, they don’t start wars, they follow the directions they are given, period, regardless of their political/religous/sexual orientation…despite what folks like Hannity and Rush would want you to believe… but, as “Jasperzoo” said… you just can’t win with some people.

http://twitter.com/mannpt Patrick Mann

Hopefully, he can get a BNCOC date now.

Fast tracking for sure. Congrats and Thanks.

Peyton94

YES!!! When we elected Obama as President. Probably our worse moment.

Peyton94

Actually I believe the Army does salute indoors.

Peyton94

Bingo!!!

Peyton94

So true jb. We all just need to leave them alone and let them do the job they are sent there to do.

Peyton94

Welcome to the ‘new’ America.

americafirst

That’s bs, if it hadn’t been for liberals we would have been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan with half the size of our force. Hannity and Rush are a select group of people who know what it takes to get the job done and not half ass it like our current operations over there. Same could be said of what happened in Vietnam.